Death is Normal
by RWBYRedReaper
Summary: Disclaimer: RWBY Characters... but Ruby and Yang aren't sisters, just really close friends. Yang's father has died. Her mother, Raven, a waitress at the Four Maidens diner, found a new boyfriend, and her best friend, Ruby Rose, left her for Vale, but didn't keep in touch. Follow yang as she goes through her lonely life. Lonely... until she meets a certain red head with green eyes.
1. Chapter 1

**New story... hopefully better than my other 'experiments'. I didn't come up with RWBY or... the game from which I took this inspiration. All honor to Roosterteeth and... the companies which made said game. Y'all will probably guess the game by the next chapter next week. Well, that's all I got. Good reads, and as usual, read and review!**

Chapter 1

The night's breeze was cold, but not unwelcome.

Despite the night ambience, Yang enjoyed the solitude. Smiling contentedly, she lit her cigarette, taking a few puffs before turning around to face the incoming light.

She heard the sound of screaming brakes, but didn't mind, simply stepping to the side as the freight train whizzed by her, leaving a massive wind wake.

She checked herself over, just in case anything had gotten caught on the locomotive.

Ripped jeans, combat boots, black leather jacket, burnt yellow t-shirt and an orange ascot. All there, nothing ripped… more than she wanted it to be.

'Mom would kill me if she knew where I was…' she thought to herself before turning once again to face her destination.

An old warehouse, where the metal band _River Run_ was set to perform tonight. She could already hear the music.

Hopping the generic ' _No Trespassing_ ' barbed wire fence, she continued her journey.

When she reached the clearing in front of the warehouse, she glanced around, taking in the flotsam and jetsam that had accrued there over the years. Some old, like scrap metals and wood planks, and some new, like a blazing fire pit and the line of dirty motorcycles.

She walked towards the front door, each step causing more excitement to see the concert, before a heavy hand on her shoulder blocked her progress.

'Going somewhere, little girl?' a lower voice said behind her.

She spun around to face whoever had spoken to her.

Clearly a bouncer, her addressor stood tall, with a surprisingly well made suit and a trimmed black beard.

"Haha, obviously going to see River Run… what you think? What else would I be doing here?" She said, smiling her most convincing smile.

It didn't work.

"And you're what? Fourteen? Sorry, no kids allowed."

She hated being called a kid.

"I'll have you know I'm 16. Hardly a kid, dickwad." She answered somewhat venomously.

"Ooh… sorry. _Sixteen."_ He paused, showing a sarcastic thinking face, "Yep… still a little kid. Beat it."

"Did it really take you that long to think? Must be so hard to count from fourteen to sixteen." She answered.

"Ha. Real funny. Now I'm not gonna say again. Get lost."

"You call me funny, yet you're the one dressed like a fucking clown."

That hit a nerve. He straightened his tie, "I've been nice to you… but you screwed the pooch. Go away now, or I'll make you go away."

"Aww… the big bad Bear wants the scary little girl to go way… So cute!"

"You know what? I'm not paid enough to deal with shitty brats like you. Go head in… but don't be surprised when you get hurt." He said, snarling at her before walking away.

'That was a thing…' she thought smugly, before going into the warehouse.

The 'front office' of the venue was cluttered, graffitied, and… awesome. Like all decommissioned buildings, it was dirty and messed up… but that's just how she liked some things.

The band's music grew several decibels the closer she got to the double doors leading to main floor, where she could see lights and a laser show through the glass.

She noticed her old drug dealer, Torchwick, sitting in the corner. His tailored suit was worse for wear, but he still had his signature bowler hat and cane.

She approached him, remembering distinctly that their last parting wasn't on the best of terms.

"Heeeyyy…. Roman…" She said, uncharacteristically nervous.

"Huh? Yang Xiao Long... What are you doing here?" He mumbled gruffly.

"I'm here to clean this place up. I'm the new health inspector," She said, throwing enough sarcasm in her voice to power the entire warehouse for years, "I'm here to see the band, dipshit."

"Oh? How'd you find out about this little shindig? And better yet… how did you get in? Remind me to find better help next time…"

"Duh. The internet… you really think a secret performance by River Run could be kept secret? And yeah… better help would be a good fuckin idea. Your friend can't take a joke."

"Yeah, yeah…" He sighed, "So why are you talking to me?"

"You… got any stuff? I could use something to… make things more fun."

"I always got stuff… Buuuuttt…. No soup for you… unless you got my money. 175 creds to be exact. And that's just cuz I like you." He said, smiling.

"175? For 30 grams of Fire Dust? That's robbery!"

"That's business, baby."

"Don't call me 'baby'."

"Okay, freeloader. Anyway, no creds, no fun. Thems the rubs."

She rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue before turning away.

Who needs drugs when you have a perfectly heavy metal band performance to thrash to?

She opened the double doors, expecting to be able to jump right into the mosh pit, only to be elbowed in the gut by an unsuspecting dancer.

She stumbled back a few feet before hitting something squishy… and sloshy.

"What the actual fuck!?" Said the person who'd she'd apparently fallen into.

He was shorter, blue Mohawk, and sported a wicked spiked shoulder bracer.

"Watch where you're going, bitch!" he snarled.

"Oh shit… my bad…" She said, rather more meekly than she meant.

"You're bad… You fuckin ruined my shirt!" He said, getting in her face.

"Dude. Fuck off… If I wanted to ruin your favorite shirt, I'd have done it at Law-Mart."

His friend, who'd sidled up to them during the confrontation, chuckled into his hand.

"Fuckin hell… You better watch your back, bitch." He said, before turning and stalking away.

'Well… mosh pit is a no go… better find some other way to see the band…' She thought, looking around.

She finally spotted stairs to the second floor of the front area. She remembered, upon an earlier visit to the warehouse, she and her best… her ex best friend Ruby Rose once 'accidentally' blew up some dolls strapped to a gas tank up there, blowing a sizeable hole in the wall…

A hole big enough to be able to see the mosh pit _and_ the band without missing anything.

She climbed the stairs, her excitement growing once again as she passed a case of beer, grabbing one for the road.

Opening the door at the top of the stairs, she almost giggled with glee.

There was River Run. In all their glory. And she was alone, no worrying about the normal dangers of the mosh pit.

She sat on the lip of the wall, letting her feet dangle and drinking her beverage, bobbing her head to the music.

It was bliss. Listening to the deafeningly awesome tones, drinking a good bear, and not having a worry in the world….

Well…

Until a shadow blocked her view of the lights.

"I told you you'd pay, bitch."

IT was that idiot from downstairs, still wearing his booze-stained shirt, his friend in tow.

"I told you, it was an accident. Damn, were you dropped a few days ago, as a baby?"

T-Shirt grabbed her by the jacket, hoisting her to her feet, and snarled in her face.

"You'll be makin funny fuckin comments from your grave if you keep it up."

There was a loud bang as the stairwell doors banged open, and a figure rushed in.

Red hair, green eyes, and a generic punk-girl outfit.

'Pyrrha Nikos?' was all she could think before a loud tinkling broke her train of thoughts.

T-Shirt's friend had just broke her beer bottle, and brandished it in front of him, clearly ready to use the sharp edge.

Pyrrha threw something at T-Shirt's friend, looked like a wide pie plate, knocking him over.

Yang herself used the distraction to grab the instrument of pain from T-Shirt and clock him in the eye with the dull part.

By the time he went down, his friend lashed out, catching the side of her face, next to her eye, with his fist.

Pyrrha rushed forward and grabbed her by the arm.

"Let's go!" she said, tugging Yang back towards the door, down the stairs, and back towards the exit.

She noticed Roman sit up, look from the two fleeing girls to the angry guys coming after them.

He was apparently a lot smarter than he looked… because the two angry guys were suddenly on the ground, Roman standing over them with his cane held like a club.

"Go." Was all he said.

And they ran. All the way back to her car.

Pyrrha, with directional help from Yang, soon dropped her off at her rundown, yet homely, cabin.

"Thanks." Was all she could say.

"Don't mention it. Seriously… Talk tomorrow." Came the succinct answer.

She stood there, watching her surprise savior drive away.

'Pyrrha Nikos? The most popular girl in school… the smartest too, I'll bet… just helped beat the shit out of two losers… at a heavy metal concert. What the fuck?" she said before entering her house, and dropping like a sack of potatoes into her bed.

'That… was a weird fucking night.'


	2. Chapter 2

**If you haven't guessed the game yet, then this is another portion to the game… kind of a lesser portion, but I wanted to give the style a try to get through some points without having to write long extended and awkward paragraphs… lol. Anyhoo, If this goes over well, I'll do one real chapter and one letter a week. As always, Read and Review! Reuploaded due to being a lummox**

 _Hi Ruby!_

 _Yang here… Mom thought it'd be a good idea to write in a journal or a diary._

" _Get some thoughts down on paper. It's a good venting system!" she told me_

 _Ha_

 _Probably wanted a good way to keep tabs on me without having to really try to keep tabs on me…_

 _So I decided to do it… kinda…_

 _So that's why I'm writing this email._

 _And that's why I'm writing in the car on the way to school… Yeah, I missed the bus, so mom decided the best thing to do was force me to ride with her new fling, James Ironwood._

 _He's… a dick. A sexist, grumpy soldier type who likes to just sit there with a beer in front of the garage and think of his time in the Great War._

 _Treats me and mom like servants sometimes. Mom says it's just cause that was how he was raised… but I don't see how you could be raised to snap your fingers at people when you wanted something._

 _Speaking of snapping fingers, he only has one arm. Well, one real arm. The other is a prosthetic. Wears it like a badge of honor… pretty much the only thing about him I don't really hate._

 _Anyhoo, I decided to start this habit. Beats having to hear Jimmy talk about the good ol' days and how women's place is in the kitchen or what-the-fuck ever._

 _Mom and I had a talk this morning. She kept saying how, since he was my father figure, and her boyfriend, I should respect him. Treat him nicely._

 _As if._

 _I'll respect him when he stops acting like a puffed up tool handler._

 _Anyway, we're pulling up to school now…._

 _Beacon Academy…_

 _Don't even get me started on that fun fuckfest._

 _I gotta go._

 _See you… probably not…_

 _-Yang X.L._


	3. Chapter 3

**Did this chapter pretty quickly. We'll see how y'all like it. That is all, Read and Review!**

Chapter 3

Beacon Academy, the most prestigious school in Vale.

The epitome of academia, the foremost in learning…

Clique central.

Like all schools, there was the nerd group, the jock group, the popular group…

Then the Light Club, Beacons own elitist students, almost like a Cult most of the time. You either had to be born to riches, be liked by the entire school, or kiss serious ass to get in.

The King and Queen of the L.C., Weiss Schnee and Cardin Winchester, pretty much ruled with an iron fist. Even though they weren't actually in any relationship, being friends, as well as heirs to the wealthiest families in 3 territories, made them near untouchable by authorities, both legal and academic.

Yang looked around the main courtyard, noticing signs and posters for extracurricular events, namely the drama department's adaption of Monty Oum's 'Salem', starring Coco Adel, Cardin Winchester, and… Pyrrha Nikos.

That name… That girl.

Sudden memories flooded her mind.

 _Pyrrha throwing the metal disc like it was nothing_

 _Pyrrha grabbing her hand as they fled down the stairs_

 _Pyrrha's eyes looking her over as she drove her home…_

A slight warm feeling spread through her chest as she remembered that last bit.

'What the… Where'd that come from?' She thought, raising an eyebrow at her own mind.

She spotted her friends Blake and Ren sitting at a table nearby, apparently playing Dragons and Dungeons or something.

Before she could move towards them, a scuffle at the main doors caught her attention.

"I know you're the 'King of Rich', Winchester… but that barely makes you a good person."

"Aww… did the little jock girl take too much testosterone?" Came the snide answer.

'A Winchester picking a fight. That's a new one.' She thought sarcastically.

Cardin Winchester was bigger, brawny, and apparently dumb as a sack of bricks… he'd just challenged Nora Valkyrie, captain of the co-ed football team, to a fight.

Being the first female captain of the Beacon Football Team, the Valiants, was no easy task… but Nora more than made up for her smaller stature with crazy strength and stamina… and a surprisingly fast mind to boot.

Winchester and Valkyrie continued to bicker as Yang watched.

Blah Blah, your daddy, blah blah… For as smart as Nora was… she wasn't really making any headway in the argument. Pretty much the only thing you could make fun of with a Winchester was his all-powerful daddy and his empty head.

The fight lasted a few minutes, before the schools student security behemoth, Yatsuhashi Daichi, stepped in, separating the two quickly.

Easily big enough to take on Nora sitting on Cardin's shoulders, both students wisely backed away.

Yang, her amusement gone, continued to the table, joining her friends.

Sure enough, Blake and Ren were playing their roleplaying game… Yang elected not to join, however. She wasn't one for extensive imagination.

"So… I heard you went out with Pyrrha Nikos last night." Blake said. Straight and to the point… pretty much the only thing about Blake that was indeed straight.

'That was cruel' Yang thought to herself.

"Do you know… if she likes these kinds of games?" Blake asked.

Ren shot her a knowing smirk.

Seems like Beacons resident gothic ninja had a crush.

"I don't know… not like we really hung out. We were together for, like, ten minutes."

Blake shrugged her shoulders, giving the generic 'oh well' face, before looking back at the game.

"Want to play this D&D game?" Ren asked.

"Nah, I don't think the author knows how to write a game like that." Yang answered, smirking.

"What?" Blake asked.

"It's a joke. I have to get to Chemistry… I'll catch you guys later."

"Oh… Okay. Tell Pyrrha I said hi!"

"…Will do."

Yang said, turning away toward the main doors.

She absorbed herself in her own thoughts over last night once again, not paying much attention to where she was going until a flash of red caught her attention.

A flash of red right infront of her.

"Yang? That's your name, right?" Pyrrha asked.

She was waiting infront of the double doors.

For her?

"Hehe, yeah… don't wear it out…?" She answered unsurely.

"Ok cool…. Another question: Do you… Do you want to skip school, maybe?" Pyrrha asked, this time she seemed unsure.

"What? Why? Like… you're the star student? Why skip school?" Yang said, trying to wrap her mind about this sudden shift in academic personality.

"Eh… One day isn't gonna change my life. Let's go!" Pyrrha said, grabbing Yang's hand and pulling her down the stairs.

'Man… I was actually ready for school this time… Aw fuck it.' Yang said before regaining her balance and following the red headed mystery.


End file.
